The government, through the Ministry of Roads and Highways, has announced its intention to reintroduce road tolls.
In a statement issued on Thursday, February 6, 2025, the ministry indicated that it was finalizing the modalities for toll collection.
“The Ministry of Roads and Highways wishes to inform the public that the government intends to reintroduce road and bridge tolls to generate revenue for road maintenance and related matters.
“To this end, the Ministry is developing the framework for a modern, technologically driven toll collection system,” parts of the statement read.
It further stated, “To achieve this objective, the Ministry will employ an open, transparent, competitive, cost-effective, and fair procurement process.”
The government urged the public to support the reintroduction of tolls, emphasizing that the revenue generated would be used to maintain roads across the country.
“The Ministry wishes to assure the public of its commitment to introducing a modernized system that addresses the current challenges in tolling and road maintenance funding.”
It can be recalled that the Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwame Governs Agbodza, during his vetting, stated that the John Dramani Mahama-led government intends to reintroduce the tolls, which were abolished by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo administration.
He explained that there would be no physical structures on the roads for toll collection. Instead, a technology-driven system would ensure efficiency, transparency, and accountability.
“Yes, the road toll is coming back, but not in the form of building obstructions on the road where drivers must stop and pay manually. It will be implemented using a technological platform that ensures fairness, ease of collection, accountability, and transparency regarding how the funds are utilized.
“Together with the Minister, we will develop a comprehensive policy on how the system will operate,” he stated in response to a question on the reintroduction of tolls.
In November 2021, the then Minister of Roads and Highways, Kwasi Amoako-Attah, unilaterally abolished the collection of road tolls despite opposition from Speaker of Parliament Alban Bagbin, who described the move as illegal and called for its reversal.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
